Method and apparatus for presenting content data and processing data

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for presenting content data and processing data includes processing that begins by receiving modulated display data and content data via a channel coupling an external content processing device to a content display device. The processing continues by separating the modulated data from the content data. The processing proceeds to retrieving display data from the modulated data and processing the display data for display. The processing continues by processing the content data for presentation.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to processing content data and inparticular to processing audio data, video data, multi-media data and/ortext data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a system 10 that includes a device 12,which may be a CD player, cassette player, DVD player, VCR, a cassetterecorder, CD burner, a cellular telephone, wireless telephone and/or acombination thereof, operably coupled to headphones 14. The device 12generates audio data that is transmitted to the headphones 14 via a leftchannel 20, ground 22 and a right channel 24. As such, the audio datamay be provided to the headphones 14 as stereo data where left channelaudio information is provided on left channel 20 and right channel audioinformation is provided on right channel 24 or the data may be providedas monotone audio where the same audio information is provided on boththe left channel 20 and the right channel 24.

The headphone 14 may include a microphone 16 that captures audio dataand provides the audio data to the device 12 via a separate wireconnection labeled mic in 26. In addition, the headphones 14 may includea remote control input device 18. The type of remote control dataproduced by the remote control input device 18 will depend on thefunctionality of the device 12. For example, if device 12 is a CDplayer, the remote control information may be next track, pause, play,stop, volume, et cetera. Depending on the complexity of the remotecontrol input device 18, the headphones 14 may include one to fouradditional wires to transmit remote control data to the device 12. Thesewires are labeled as remote control in 28.

The device 12 may also utilize the remote control in wires 28 to providedisplay information to the headphones 14. In such an embodiment, theheadphones 14 would include a display for displaying such information.Display information would include, for example, volume settings, tracknumber, et cetera. With the additional features of a microphone 16 andremote control device 18, multiple additional wires are needed to couplethe headphones 14 to the device 12. The inclusion of extra wires adds tothe cost, increases the complexity of manufacturing the headphones, anddecreases the reliability of the headphone 14.

Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that improves theprocessing of data and content data by a content processing device and acontent display device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a prior art system;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a content processingdevice and content display device in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an alternate contentprocessing device and an alternate content display device in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic block diagram of another alternatecontent processing device and another alternate content display devicein accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the data processingcircuit of the content processing device of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the transceiving moduleof the content processing device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of thedata extraction circuit of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an alternate embodimentof the data extraction circuit of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the transceiving moduleof the content processing device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the data processingcircuit of the content display device of FIG. 2 or FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the transceiving moduleof the content display device of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of thedata extraction circuit of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an alternate embodimentof the data extraction circuit for FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the transceiving moduleof the content display device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 15 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a portion of thetransceiving modules for the content display device and the contentprocessing device of FIGS. 2 through 4;

FIG. 16 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a transmitting portionof the transceiver modules of the content processing device and contentdisplay device of FIGS. 2 through 4;

FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an alternate contentprocessing device and an alternate content display device in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 18 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for processing contentdata in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 19 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for Step 274 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 illustrates a logic diagram of an alternate method forprocessing content data in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 21 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for presenting contentdata and processing data in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 22 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for Steps 360 and 362 ofFIG. 21;

FIG. 23 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for Steps 346 and 348 ofFIG. 21;

FIG. 24 illustrates a logic diagram of an alternate method forpresenting content data and processing data in accordance with thepresent invention; and

FIG. 25 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for Steps 428 and 430 ofFIG. 24.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Generally, the present invention provides a method and apparatus forpresenting content data and processing data. Such a method and apparatusincludes processing that begins by receiving modulated display data andcontent data via a channel coupling an external content processingdevice to a content display device. The processing continues byseparating the modulated data from the content data. The processingproceeds to retrieving display data from the modulated data andprocessing the display data for display. The processing continues byprocessing the content data for presentation. For example, if thecontent data is audio data, the presentation entails rendering the audiosignals audible. With such a method and apparatus, remote control data,audio data, video data, text data and/or multi-media data may betransceived between a content processing device and a content displaydevice utilizing a minimal number of interconnections.

The present invention can be more fully described with reference toFIGS. 2 through 25. FIG. 2 illustrates a system 30 that includes acontent processing device 32 and a content display device 34. Thecontent processing device 32 may be any device that produces audio data,video data, text data, multi-media data, and/or a combination thereoffor presentation to a user. The content display device 34 may be aheadphone, LCD panel, plasma display, speakers, and/or any device thatallows for audio data, video data, text data, multi-media data, and/or acombination thereof to be presented to a user.

The content processing device 32 includes a content processing module36, a transceiving module 38 and data processing circuitry 40. Thecontent processing module 36 generates content data 46 based onpresentation information 44. The construct of the content processingmodule 36 is dependent on the particular type of content data 46 beinggenerated. For example, the content data may be audio data, video data,text data, and/or multi-media data. For example, if the content data isaudio data, the content processing module 36 may be a digital signalprocessor programmed to produce digitized audio from stored files, maybe a CD drive, magnetic tape reader, DVD player, cellular telephonecircuitry, wireless telephone circuitry, AM tuner circuitry, FM tunercircuitry, satellite tuner circuitry, et cetera. The presentationinformation 44 is representative of data provided by the content displaydevice 34 that effects the processing of the content data 46. Forexample, if the content data 46 corresponds to the playback of a CD, thepresentation information 44 may be volume settings, track selections,pause, play, stop, et cetera.

The transceiving module 38 is operably coupled to the content displaydevice 34 via a channel 36. The channel 36 may be a 3 wire interface(left channel, right channel, and ground), an infrared path, a radiofrequency (RF) path, a fiber optics path, and/or any interface between 2electronic components. The transceiving module 38 is operably coupled totransmit the content data 46 to the content display device 34 and toreceive modulated data 58 from the content display device 34 via thechannel 36. The transceiving module 38 separates the modulated data 58from the content data 46. In addition, the transceiving module 38demodulates the modulated data 58 to retrieve data 42.

The data processing circuitry 40 receives the retrieved data 42 andproduces there from the presentation information 44. The retrieved data42 may be indicative of the type of content data 46 being displayed bythe content display device 34. For example, if the content data 46 isaudio data, the retrieved data 42 will be indicative of volumeselection, tuning, et cetera.

The content display device 34 includes a content processing module 48, atransceiving module 50, and data processing circuitry 52. The dataprocessing circuitry 52 is operably coupled to receive inputs regardingfunctionality of the content processing device. The inputs may be remotecontrol inputs, audio inputs, video inputs, text inputs, et cetera. Thedata processing circuitry 52 interprets the inputs to generate data 56.For example, if the inputs correspond to remote control inputs, the dataprocessing circuitry 52 includes touch panel, switches, and/or anydevice for receiving such user inputs and interpreting the inputs toproduce data 56 that represents the particular remote control operationthat has been selected. Alternatively, if the inputs correspond to audioinputs, the data processing circuitry 52 digitizes audible inputsreceived via a microphone such that the data 56 includes digitizedaudio. As a further example, if the input corresponds to a video input,the data processing circuitry 52 includes circuitry similar to a digitalcamera that digitizes video such that the data 56 includes digitizedvideo.

The transceiving module 50 receives the data 56 and modulates it toproduce the modulated data 58. The transceiving module 50 places themodulated data 58 on the channel 36. In addition, the transceivingmodule 50 receives the content data 46 via channel 36. The transceivingmodule 50 provides the content data 46 to the content processing module48. The content processing module 48 interprets the content data 46 tomake a presentation 60 of the content data. The content processingmodule 48 will be dependent on the type of content data 46 beingprocessed. For example, if the content data 46 is audio data, thecontent processing module 48 corresponds to circuitry to receive analogaudio signals and provide such signals to speakers or headphones. If thecontent data is video data, the content processing module 48 includescircuitry for rendering the content data on a LCD panel, plasma panel,et cetera. Such circuitry for rendering audio signals audible and videodata visible is known, thus no further discussion will be presentedexcept to illustrate the concepts of the present invention.

Transceiving module 38 and transceiving module 50 are operably coupledvia channel 36 to convey the content data 46 and the modulated data 50.By modulating the data 56 at a frequency that is distinct from thefrequency of the content data 46, the modulated data 58 and the contentdata 46 may be transceived utilizing the same interconnections ofchannel 36. For example, if channel 36 is representative of a 3-wireinterface (left channel, right channel, and ground), the modulated data58 may be modulated on the left channel at a frequency of 1 Mhz whilethe audio data on the left channel is in the frequency range of 20 Hz to20 Khz. Thus, when the transceiving modules 38 and 50 process this data,they filter the modulated data 58 from the content data such that themodulated data 58 can be separately processed from the content data 46.As one of average skill in the art will appreciate, the modulated dataand the content data may overlap in the frequency domain usingconventional modulation schemes (e.g., CDMA).

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an alternate system 70that includes a content processing device 72 and a content displaydevice 74. The content processing device 72 includes the contentprocessing module 36, a transceiving module 76 and data processingcircuitry 78. In this embodiment, the content processing module 36generates content data 46 as previously discussed with reference to FIG.2. The data processing circuitry 78 generates display data 80. Displaydata 80 may be representative of the manner in which the content data 46is to be displayed on the content display device 74. For example, if thecontent data 46 corresponds to the playback of a compact disk, thedisplay data 80 may include a volume setting, track number, et cetera.The data processing circuitry 78 includes known circuitry to generatesuch display data 80. For example, the circuitry to generate displaydata corresponding to the playback of a compact disk, playback of acassette, playback of a DVD, playback of a video cassette, et cetera,which is known in the art. Thus, no further discussion will be presentedon the construct of the data processing circuitry 78 except toillustrate the concepts of the present invention.

The transceiving module 76 receives the content data 46 and the displaydata 80. The transceiving module 76 modulates the display data 80 toproduce modulated display data 82. The transceiving module 76 transmitsthe content data 46 and the modulated display data 82 to the contentdisplay device 74 via the channel 36. The modulated display data 82 isproduced at a frequency that can be readily separated from the frequencyof the content data 46. For example, if the content data 46 is audiodata, its frequency range is 0 to 20 Khz. The modulated display data 82may utilize a spread spectrum modulation scheme or CDMA (code divisionmultiple access). Such a modulation scheme is well known in the artthus, no further discussion will be presented except to illustrate theconcepts of the present invention.

The content display device 74 includes the content processing module 48,a transceiving module 84, data processing circuitry 86 and a display 88.The transceiving module 84 receives the modulated display data 82 andthe content data 46. The transceiving module separates the content data46 from the modulated display data 82. The content data 46 is providedto the content processing module 48, which processes the content data 46as previously described with reference to FIG. 2. The transceivingmodule demodulates the modulated display data 82 to retrieve displaydata 90. The retrieve display data 90 is provided to the data processingcircuitry 86. The data processing circuitry 86 processes the retrieveddisplay data 90 and provides the processed data to display 88 fordisplay. The construct of the data processing circuitry 86 will dependon the type of information to be displayed. For example, if the displaydata 90 corresponds to display of processing audio signals, for example,playback of a compact disk, cassette, et cetera, the display data may bedigital representations of volume settings, track information, etcetera. As such, the circuitry 86 will interpret the data signals todrive an LCD display 88 or a plasma display 88. Such circuitry is knownin the art, thus, no further discussion will be presented except toillustrate the concepts of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic block diagram of another system 100 thatincludes a content processing device 102 and a content display device104. The content processing device 102 includes the content processingmodule 36, an external content display device detection module 118, atransceiving module 106, and data processing circuitry 108. The externalcontent display device detection module 118 generates an inquiry 116that is provided to the transceiving module 106. The transceiving module106 provides the inquiry 116 to the content display device 104 viachannel 36. The transceiving module 110 receives the inquiry 116 andprovides it to identifying circuitry 114. Identifying circuitry 114determines the capabilities 120 of the content display device 104, whichare provided to the transceiving module 110. The transceiving module 110provides the capabilities 120 to transceiving module 106 via channel 36.The transceiving module 106 provides the capabilities 120 to theexternal content display device detection module 118. Based on aninterpretation of the capabilities 120, the external content displaydevice detection module 118 determines the capabilities of the contentdisplay device 104. For example, the inquiry generated by the contentprocessing device 102 is seeking information to determine whether thecontent display device 104 is capable of producing remote control data,is capable of receiving display data, whether the inputs 54 are remotecontrol inputs, video inputs and/or audio inputs, the type of display88, and other related features of the content display device 104. Theidentifying circuitry 114, based on the inquiry 116, determines thecapabilities 120. The determination may be done by a lookup table thatincludes the capabilities of the content display device 104 or an activeinquiry of the content display device 104.

The content processing module 36 produces the content data 46 based onpresentation information 44 as previously discussed. The data processingcircuitry 108 includes the data processing circuitry 40 of FIG. 2 andthe data processing circuitry 78 of FIG. 3. With such a combination ofcircuitry, the data processing circuitry 108 can process the retrieveddata 42 to produce the presentation information 44 and also generatedisplay data 80. The transceiving module 106 in addition to transmittingthe inquiry 116 which is done prior to transmitting any content data ordisplay data, includes the circuitry that comprises the transceivingmodule 38 of FIG. 2 and the transceiving module 76 of FIG. 3.

The content display device 104 includes the content processing module48, a transceiving module 110, an identifying circuitry 114, dataprocessing circuitry 112 and the display 88. The data processingcircuitry 112 includes the data processing circuitry 52 of FIG. 2 andthe data processing circuitry 86 of FIG. 3 to process the input 54 toproduce data 56 and to process the retrieved display data 90. Thetransceiving module 100 includes the transceiving module 50 of FIG. 2and the transceiving module 84 of FIG. 3. Note that if the contentprocessing device 102 also includes control functions similar to thecontrol functions of the content display device 104, one of the devices102 or 104 will be selected to have priority.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the data processingcircuitry 40 or 108. The data processing circuitry 40 includes a parsingmodule 130, remote control circuitry 132 and signal processing module134. The parsing module 130 is operably coupled to receive the retrieveddata 42. The retrieved data 42 may be representative of digitized audio,digitized video, and/or incoming remote control data. In thisillustration, the retrieved data 42 includes remote control data 136 anddigitized audio 138. Note that the digitized audio is representative ofaudio signals that may be received via a microphone for recording spokenword, or may correspond to voice commands related to remote control data136. The remote control data 136 may include volume adjustment data,stop data, play data, pause data, rewind data, fast forward data, nexttrack data, channel up/down data, base boost data, record data,intensity data, contrast data, security access data, and/or telephoneaccess code data.

The remote control circuitry 132 receives the remote control data 136 toproduce the content presentation information 44. Based on thefunctionality of the content processing device, the remote controlcircuitry 132 will include various embodiments of circuitry. Forexample, if the content processing device is a audio playback device,such as a CD player, cassette player, et cetera, the remote controlcircuitry will receive digital representations of remote control datathat corresponds to the playback of information and provides codesrelated thereto as to the content presentation information 44 to thecontent processing module 36.

The signal processing module 134 receives the digitized audio 138 andproduces either remote control data 136 or audible signals 140. If theaudio signals correspond to voice commands regarding the operation ofthe content processing device, the digitized audio signals 138 arerepresentative of remote control information. The signal processingmodule 134 processes the digitized audio to produce the remote controldata 136. In the alternative, the digitized audio 138 may berepresentative of speech that is to be rendered audible. The signalprocessing module 134 receives the digitized audio signals 138 andproduces audible signals 140 therefrom, where the digitized audiosignals 138 may be stored in the associated memory. The processing ofdigitized audio signals to produce audible signals is well known in theart and is found in cellular telephone technology, CD playbackequipment, DVD playback equipment, et cetera.

FIG. 6 illustrates the transceiving module 38 of FIG. 2. Thetransceiving module 38 includes a data extraction circuit 142, a highpass filter 146 and a gain module 144. The high pass filter 146 isoperably coupled to channel 36 and to receive the content data 46. Thehigh pass filter 146 separates the content data 46 from the modulateddata 58. The modulated data is provided to a gain module 144 to producegain modulated data 148. The gain module 144 may perform a level shiftof the modulated data utilizing an RS232 receiver or a universalasynchronous receiver transmitter. The data extraction circuit 142receives the gain modulated data 148 and produces there from theretrieved data 42. The data extraction circuit 142 may be implemented ina multiple of topologies; two of which are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the data extractioncircuit 142 that includes a demodulator 150, a quantizer 152 and adigital filter 154. The demodulator 150, which may be an integrator, isoperably coupled to receive the gained modulated data 148 and to producedemodulated data 156. Depending on the type of modulation that is usedto produce the modulated data, the demodulator 150 will include thecorresponding demodulation scheme. For example, if the modulation isdone utilizing AM modulation, the demodulator will include AMdemodulation, if FM modulation is used, the demodulator will include FMdemodulation, if CDMA modulation is used, the demodulator 150 willinclude CDMA modulation.

The quantizer 152 receives the demodulated data 158 and producesquantized data 158 there from. The quantization of the demodulated data156 is essentially a level shift function to produce the quantized data158. The digital filter 154 receives the quantized data 158 and filtersit to produce the retrieved data 42. One embodiment of the dataextraction circuit 142 of FIG. 7 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 15,which will be described below.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate schematic block diagram of the dataextraction circuit 142. The data extraction circuit includes acorrelator 160, a clock recovery circuit 162 and a phase comparator 164.The clock recovery circuit 162 is operably coupled to receive the gainmodulated data 148 and to produce there from a clock signal 166. Thecorrelator receives the gain modulated data 148 and the clock signal166. The correlator utilizes the clock signal 166 to detect patterns ofthe data 42 in the gain modulated data 148 to produce the correlateddata 168. The phase comparator 164 receives the correlated data 168 andproduces there from the retrieved data 42. This type of data extractionis the type of data extraction typically performed to demodulate CDMAdata.

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the transceiving module76 of FIG. 3. The transceiving module 76 includes a data modulator 170and a combining module 172. The data modulator 170 includes a pseudorandom code generator 174 and a modulator 176, which may be an AND gateand OR gate, Square Law modulator, and/or a ring modulator. The pseudorandom code generator 174 generates a random code 178. The modulator 176receives display data 80 and the random code 178. The modulatormodulates the display data 80 based on the random code 178. Note thatthe modulator 176 may be an exclusive OR gate that receives the randomcode 178 via one input and the display data 80 be in another input or itmay be a double balanced mixer. The modulator 176 produces the modulateddisplay data 82 based on the random code 178 and display data 80.

The combining module 172 includes a high pass filter 180 and a highfrequency isolation module 182. The high pass filter 182 and highfrequency isolation module 182 are coupled to channel 36. The high passfilter 180 attenuates the content data 46 and passes the modulateddisplay data 82 on to channel 36. The high frequency isolation module182 passes the content data 46 while isolating it from the modulateddisplay data 82 that is on channel 36. As such, the combining module 172combines the content data 46 and the modulated display data 82 on to thechannel 36 but separates the content data 46 from the modulated data 82for internal processing.

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the data processingcircuitry 52 of the content display device 34 of FIG. 2. As shown, thedata processing circuitry includes an input device 190 and a digitizingmodule 192. The input device 190 is operably coupled to receive inputsignals 194 which are audible analog input signals and to produce analoginput signals 196. The input device 190 may be a microphone andcorresponding circuitry to capture speech and produce analog inputsignals 196 there from. The digitizing module 192 receives the analoginput signals 196 and produces there from digitized signals 198. Thedigitizing module 192 may include pulse code modulation digitizingcircuitry and/or encryption circuitry, where such circuitry is known inthe art.

FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the transceiving module84 of the content display device 74 of FIG. 3. The transceiving module84 includes a high pass filter 200, a gain module 202 and dataextraction circuit 204. The high pass filter 200 is operably coupled tochannel 36 and to separate the content data 46 from modulated displaydata 82. The gain module 202 receives the modulated display data 82 andproduces there from gain modulated data 206. The gain module 202 may bea level shift device such that the gain modulated data 206 is a levelshifted representation of the modulated display data 82. The dataextraction circuit 204 receives the gain modulated data 206 and producesthe retrieved displayed data 90. The data extraction circuitry may beconstructed in a variety of embodiments, two of which are shown in FIGS.12 and 13.

FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the data extractioncircuit 204 to include a demodulator 210, a quantizer 212 (i.e., adecision element that may be multi-state) and a digital filter 214. Thedemodulator 210, which may be an integrator, receives the gain modulateddata 206 and produces there from demodulated data 216. The quantizer 212receives the demodulated data 216 and produces there from quantized data218. The digital filter 214 filters the quantized data 218 to producethe retrieved display data 90. Note that the construct of thedemodulator 210 will be dependent upon the modulation scheme used toproduce the modulated display data 82. If the modulation scheme is AM(amplitude modulation), the demodulator will include amplitudedemodulation circuitry, if the modulation scheme was frequencymodulation, the demodulator 210 will include frequency demodulation, ifthe modulation scheme was CDMA or CDM, the demodulator 210 will includeCMDA or CDM demodulation.

FIG. 13 illustrates an alternate schematic block diagram of the dataextraction circuit 204. The data extraction circuit 204 includes acorrelator 220, a clock recovery circuit 224 and a phase comparator 222.The correlator 220 receives the gain modulated data 206 and a clocksignal 228. The clock recovery circuit 224 generates the clock signal228 based on the gain modulated data 206 such that the clock signal 228is representative of the period of the gain modulated data 206. Based onthese inputs, the correlator 220 produces correlated data 226. The phasecomparator 222 receives the correlated data 226 and produces theretrieved display data 90. The functionality of the data extractioncircuit 204 corresponds to data recovery in a CDMA, a coherent FM, aphase modulation, and/or an AM encoding scheme.

FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the transceiving module84 of the content display device 74 of FIG. 3. The transceiving module84 includes a data modulator 230 and an injection module 232. The datamodulator 230 includes a pseudo random code generator 234 and amodulator 236. The pseudo random code generator 234 generates a randomcode 238. The modulator 236 receives data 56 and the random code 238.Utilizing the random code 238, the modulator 236 modulates data 56 toproduce the modulated data 58.

The injection module 232 includes a high pass filter 240 and a highfrequency isolation module 242. The high pass filter 240 and the highfrequency isolation module 242 are operably coupled to channel 36. Thehigh pass filter 240 is operably coupled to block the content data 46from being provided to the data modulator 230 while passing themodulated data 58 onto channel 36. The high frequency isolation module242 is operably coupled to receive the content data 46 from the channeland pass it to the content processing module 48 while attenuating themodulated data 58.

FIG. 15 illustrates a schematic diagram of the receiving portion of anembodiment of transceiving modules 38, 50, 76, 84, 106, and 110. In thisembodiment, the channel includes a left channel, right channel andground. The left channel is indicative of L_(in), the right channel isrepresented by R_(in), and the ground is represented by the groundsymbol. In this illustration, capacitor C₃ is a DC blocking capacitorand may have a capacitance value of greater than 470 micro Farads.Capacitor C₄ in the right channel path performs a similar function andhas a similar capacitance value as capacitor C₄. Inductor L₁ andcapacitor C₆ in the left channel path form a high frequency isolationcircuit. As such, high frequency signals that are presented on Lout,which is coupled to the channel, are blocked via the high frequencyisolation circuit L₁ and C₆. As such, modulated data that may appear onthe left channel on channel 36 is blocked from being received via thecircuitry coupled to L_(in). The inductor L₂ and capacitor C₇ perform asimilar high frequency isolation for the right channel.

Capacitor C₁, resistor R₁ and resistor R₃ form a high pass filter forextracting modulated data from the left channel. The extracted data isprovided to the integrator, which is formed by the amplifier andresistors R₇, R₈, a diode, and capacitor C₅. Resistors R₅ and R₆formulate a reference potential for the amplifier. Capacitor C₂,resistor R₂ and resistor R₄ formulate a balancing circuit when themodulated data is on the left channel. Alternatively, if modulated datais also on the right channel, capacitor C₂, resistor R₂ and resistor R₄form a high pass filter for coupling modulated data into the integrator.

The output of the integrator is provided to an inverter, which performsa level shift function that is subsequently provided to a universalasynchronous receiver transmitter (UART), which is optional. The outputof the UART provides the retrieved data 42 or the retrieved display data90. Note that amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation or phasemodulation may be used as the modulation scheme by injected modulateddata into resistor R₇.

FIG. 16 illustrates the transmitting portion of an embodiment oftransceiving module 38, 50, 76, 84, 106, and 110. In this illustration,the channel 36 is represented by a 3-wire channel that includes a leftchannel, a right channel and ground. In the left channel path, C₁ is aDC blocking capacitor that should have a capacitance value of 470 microFarads or greater. The capacitor C₂ in the right channel path performs asimilar function and should have a similar capacitance value. InductorL₁ and capacitor C₃ form a high frequency isolation circuit that blockshigh frequency signals that are on the channel from being received atthe input of the left channel. Inductor L₂ and capacitor C₄ perform asimilar function for the right channel.

The data 56 or display data 80 is provided to an RS232 receiver, whichis optional, that produces an output which is coupled to an input of anexclusive OR gate. A random number generator produces a random numberthat is also provided to an input of the exclusive OR gate. Theexclusive OR gate modulates the display data via the random number whichis capacitively coupled through C₅ and provided onto the left channel ofchannel 36. The random number is capacitively coupled via C₆ to theright channel out such that the random number is provided to channel 36.

FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an alternate contentprocessing device 250 and an alternate content display device 260. Thecontent processing device 250 includes a processing module 252 andmemory 254. The content display device includes processing module 262and memory 264. The processing module 252 or processing module 262 maybe a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices. Sucha processing device may be a microprocessor, microcontroller, digitalsignal processor, central processing unit, state machine, logiccircuitry, and/or any device that manipulates signals (analog ordigital) based on operational instructions. The memory 254 or 264 may bea single memory device or a plurality of memory devices. Such a memorydevice may be a random access memory, read only memory, floppy diskmemory, system memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and/or anydevice that stores digital information. Note that when the processingmodule 252 or processing module 262 implements 1 or more of itsfunctions via a state machine or logic circuitry, the memory 254 or 264storing the corresponding operational instructions is embedded withinthe circuitry comprising the state machine or logic circuitry. Theoperational instructions stored in memory 254 and 264 and executed byprocessing modules 252 and 262 are further discussed in FIGS. 18 through25.

FIG. 18 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for processing contentdata. The process begins at 270 where modulated data is received via achannel coupling an external content display device to a contentprocessing device. The process proceeds to Step 272 where the contentdata is introduced into the channel coupling the content processingdevice to the external content display device. The process then proceedsto Step 274 where the modulated data is separated from the content data.The process then proceeds to Step 276 where data is retrieved from themodulated data. The process then proceeds to Step 278 where the data isprocessed to produce presentation information. The process then proceedsto Step 280 where the content data is processed for presentation on theexternal content display device based on the presentation information.The process then proceeds to Step 282 where capabilities of the externalcontent display device are detected in preparing the data.

The processing of the data to produce presentation information of Step278 can be further described with reference to Steps 284 through Step290. At Step 284, the data is parsed into remote control data anddigitized audio. The process then proceeds to Step 286 where the remotecontrol data is processed to produce content presentation codes, or thepresentation information. The process then proceeds to Step 288 wherethe content data is processed based on the content presentation codes.The process then proceeds to Step 290 where the digitized audio isprocessed. The digitized audio is representative of audio signalsreceived via a microphone of the external content display device.

FIG. 19 illustrates a logic diagram of Step 274 of FIG. 18. Theprocessing begins at Step 300 where the channel is high pass filtered toseparate the content data from the modulated data. The process thenproceeds to Step 302 where gain is provided to the modulated data toproduce gain modulated data. The process then proceeds to Step 304wherein the data is extracted from the modulated data. The data may beextracted in several ways, two of which are shown in Steps 306 through310 and Steps 312 through 316.

At Step 306, the gain modulated data is demodulated to producedemodulated data. The process then proceeds to Step 308 where thedemodulated data is quantized to produce quantized data. The processthen proceeds to Step 310 where the quantized data is digitally filteredto produce the data.

At Step 312, a clock signal is generated from the modulated data. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 314 where, at a rate of the clock signal,patterns of the data is detected within the modulated data to producecorrelated data. The process then proceeds to Step 316 where thecorrelated data is phase compared to produce the data.

FIG. 20 illustrates a logic diagram of an alternate method forprocessing content data in accordance with the present invention. Theprocess begins at Step 320 where display data is provided to an externalcontent display device. The process then proceeds to Step 322 where thecontent data is processed for presentation on the external contentdisplay device. The process then proceeds to Step 324 where the displaydata is modulated to produce modulated display data. The process thenproceeds to Step 326 where the modulated data is combined with thecontent data to produce transmit data. The process then proceeds to Step328 where the transmit data is provided to the external content displaydevice via a channel coupling the content processing device to theexternal content display device. The process then proceeds to Step 330where capabilities of the external content display device are detectedin comparing the data.

The processing of Step 324 is further described with reference to Steps332 and 334. At Step 332 a pseudo random code is generated. The processthen proceeds to Step 334 where the pseudo random code and the displaydata are modulated to produce the modulated display data.

The processing of Step 326 is further described in Steps 336 and 338. AtStep 336 the modulated display data is high pass filtered to producefiltered data. The filtered data is provided on the channel. Theprocessing then proceeds to Step 338 where the content data is highfrequency isolated from the modulated display data by substantiallyattenuating the filtered data and passing the content data substantiallyunattenuated.

FIG. 21 illustrates a logic diagram of a method for presenting contentdata and processing data in accordance with the present invention. Theprocess begins at Steps 340, 352, 358 and 366. Each of these steps andcorresponding steps are performed in parallel, however, as one ofaverage skill in the art will appreciate, they may be performed in aserial manner and/or in any combination of a parallel or serial manner.

At Step 340, inputs are received regarding the functionality of anexternal content processing device. Such inputs may be indicative ofvolume settings, selecting tracks of a CD et cetera. The process thenproceeds to Step 342 where the inputs are processed to produce dataregarding the functionality of an external content processing device.The process then proceeds to Step 344 where the data is modulated toproduce modulated data. The process then proceeds to Step 346 where thecontent data is received via a channel coupled to the external contentprocessing device. The process then proceeds to Step 348 where themodulated data is transmitted to the external content processing devicevia the channel. The process then proceeds to Step 350 where the contentdata is processed for presentation.

At Step 352 an analog input signal is received. The process thenproceeds to Step 354 where the analog input signal is digitized toproduce a digitized signal. The process then proceeds to Step 356 wherethe digitized signal is provided as at least part of the data frommodulating. As such, the digitized signal will be modulated and providedto the content processing device via the channel.

At Step 358, modulated display data is received via the channel. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 360 where the modulated display data isseparated from the content data. The process then proceeds to Step 362where display data is retrieved from the modulated display data. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 364 where the display data is displayed.

At Step 366, an inquiry is received via the channel from the externalcontent processing device. The process then proceeds to Step 368 wherethe inquiry is processed to produce content display capabilities. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 370 where the content display capabilitiesare provided to the external content processing device via the channel.

FIG. 22 illustrates a logic diagram of further processing of Steps 360and 362 of FIG. 21. The processing begins at Step 380 where the channelis high pass filtered to separate the content data from the modulateddata. The process then proceeds to Step 382 where gain is provided tothe modulated data to produce gain modulated data. The process thenproceeds to Step 384 where the display data is extracted from themodulated display data. The extracting of the display data may be donein a variety of ways, two of which are shown in Steps 386 through 390and Steps 392 through 396.

In Step 386, the gain modulated data is demodulated to producedemodulated data. The process then proceeds to Step 388 where thedemodulated data is quantized to produced quantized data. The processthen proceeds to Step 390 where the quantized data is digitally filteredto produce the display data.

At Step 392, a clock signal is generated from the modulated displaydata. The process then proceeds to Step 394 where patterns of thedisplayed data are correlated with patterns contained within themodulated display data to produce correlated. The process then proceedsto Step 396 where the correlated data is phased compared to produce thedata.

FIG. 23 illustrates the further processing of Steps 346 and 348 of FIG.21. Such further processing begins at Step 400 where the data ismodulated to produce modulated data. This may be done by generating apseudo random code as shown at Step 404. After generating the pseudorandom code, the process would proceed to Step 406 where the random codeand the data are modulated to produce the modulated data.

Returning to the main flow, the process proceeds to Step 402 where themodulated data is injected onto the channel with the content data toproduce transceived data. The transceived data is provided to theexternal content processing device. Step 402 is shown in further detailwith respect to Steps 408 and 410. At Step 408, the modulated data ishigh pass filtered to produce filtered data. The filtered data isprovided on the channel. The process then proceeds to Step 410 where thecontent data is high frequency isolated from the modulated data bysubstantially attenuating the filtered data and passing the content datasubstantially unattenuated.

FIG. 24 illustrates a logic diagram of an alternate method forprocessing content data and processing data in accordance with thepresent invention. The processing begins at Step 420 or 426. At Step 420an inquiry is received via the channel from the external contentprocessing device. The process then proceeds to Step 422 where theinquiry is processed to produce content display capabilities. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 424 where the content display capabilitiesare provided to the external content processing device via the channel.

At Step 426, modulated display data and content data are received via achannel coupling the content display device to an external contentprocessing device. The process then proceeds to Step 428 where themodulated data is separated from the content data. The process thenproceeds to Step 430 where display data is retrieved from the modulateddata. The process then proceeds to Step 432 where the display data isprocessed for display. The process then proceeds to Step 434 where thecontent data is processed for presentation.

FIG. 25 illustrates further processing of Steps 428 and 430 of FIG. 24.Such further processing begins at Step 440 where the channel is highpass filtered to separate the content data from the modulated data. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 442 where gain is provided to themodulated data to produce gain modulated data. The process then proceedsto Step 444 where the display data is extracted from the modulated data.The extracting of display data from modulated data may be done in avariety of ways, two of which are shown in Steps 446 through 450 andSteps 452 through 456.

At Step 446, the gain modulated data is demodulated to producedemodulated data. The process then proceeds to Step 448 where thedemodulated data is quantized to produce quantized data. The processthen proceeds to Step 450 where the quantized data is digitally filteredto produce the display data.

At Step 452, a clock signal is generated from the modulated data. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 454 where patterns of the data containedwithin the modulated data are detected to produce correlated data. Theprocess then proceeds to Step 456 where the correlated data is phasecompared to produce the display data.

The preceding discussion has presented a method and apparatus forminimizing the number of interfaces required to couple a contentprocessing device to a content display device. For example, when thecontent processing device is an audio player such as a cassette player,DVD player, CD player, et cetera and the content display device is aheadphone with a microphone, remote control input circuitry, and adisplay, only three wires are needed to couple the display device withthe processing device. The extra data of remote control device anddisplay information are modulated on the content data (e.g. the audiodata). As one of average skill in the art will appreciate, otherembodiments may be derived from the teaching of the present inventionwithout deviating from the scope of the claims.

1. A content display device for presenting content data and processingdata, the content display device comprises: data processing circuitryoperably coupled to receive inputs regarding functionality of anexternal content processing device and to process the inputs to producedata regarding the functionality of an external content processingdevice; content display module operably coupled to process the contentdata for presentation; and transceiving module operably coupled to thedata processing circuitry and the content display module, wherein thetransceiving module receives the content data via a channel coupling thecontent display device to the external content processing device,wherein the transceiving module modulates the data to produce modulateddata and transmits the modulated data to the external content processingdevice via the channel.
 2. The content display device of claim 1,wherein the data processing module further comprises: input deviceoperably coupled to receiving an input signal and produce therefrom ananalog input signal; and digitizing module operably coupled to digitizethe analog input signal and to produce a digitized signal, wherein thedigitizing module provides the digitized signal as at least part of thedata to the transceiving module.
 3. The content display device of claim1, wherein the data comprises at least one of: digitized audio,digitized video, and incoming remote control data and wherein thecontent data comprises at least one of: audio data, video data, textdata, and multimedia data.
 4. The content display device of claim 3,wherein the remote control data comprises at least one of: volume adjustdata, stop data, play data, pause data, rewind data, fast forward data,next track data, channel up/down data, bass boost data, record data,intensity data, contrast data, security access data, and telephoneaccess code data.
 5. The content display device of claim 4, wherein thetransceiving module further comprises functionality to receive modulateddisplay data via the channel, wherein the transceiving module separatesthe modulated display data from the content data, wherein thetransceiving module retrieves display data from the modulated displaydata, and wherein the transceiving module provides the display data tothe data processing module.
 6. The content display device of claim 5,wherein the transceiving module comprises: high pass filter to separatethe content data from the modulated display data; gain module operablycoupled to provide gain to the modulated display data to produce gainedmodulated data; and data extraction circuit operably coupled to retrievethe display data from the modulated display data.
 7. The content displaydevice of claim 6, wherein the data extraction circuit comprises:demodulator operably coupled to receive the gain modulated data and toproduce therefrom demodulated data; quantizer operably coupled toreceive the demodulated data and to produce therefrom quantized data;and digital filter operably coupled to receive the quantized data andproduce therefrom the display data.
 8. The content display device ofclaim 6, wherein the data extraction circuit comprises: clock recoverycircuit operably coupled to generate a clock signal from the modulateddisplay data; a correlator operably coupled to receive the clock signal,wherein the correlator detect patterns of the data contained within themodulated display data to produce correlated data; and phase comparatoroperably coupled to receive the correlated data and to produce therefromthe display data.
 9. The content display device of claim 5 furthercomprises: display operably coupled to the data processing module,wherein the data processing module processes the display data to producedisplay information, wherein the display displays the displayinformation.
 10. The content display device of claim 1, wherein thetransceiving module further comprises: data modulator operably coupledto modulate the data to produce the modulated data; and injectingcircuit operably coupled to inject the modulated data on to the channelsuch that the modulated data is provided to the external contentprocessing device.
 11. The content display device of claim 10, whereinthe data modulator comprises: pseudo random code generator operablycoupled to produce a random code; and modulator operably coupled toreceive the random code and the data to produce the modulated data. 12.The content display device of claim 10, wherein the injecting circuitcomprises: high pass filter operably coupled to the channel, wherein thehigh pass filter filters the modulated data to produce filtered data,wherein the filtered data is provided on the channel; and high frequencyisolation module operably coupled to the channel, wherein the highfrequency isolation module substantially attenuates the filtered dataand passes the content data substantially untenanted such that thecontent data is isolated from the modulated data.
 13. The contentdisplay device of claim 1 further comprises identifying circuitryoperably coupled to receive an inquiry via the channel from the externalcontent processing device, wherein the identifying circuitry processesthe inquiry to produce content display capabilities, and wherein theidentifying circuitry provides the content display capabilities to thetransceiving module for transmission via the channel to the externalcontent processing device.
 14. A content display device for presentingcontent data and processing data, the content display device comprises:data processing circuitry operably coupled to process display datareceived from an external content processing device; content displaymodule operably coupled to process content data for presentation; andtransceiving module operably coupled to the data processing circuitryand the content display module, wherein the transceiving module isoperably coupled to receive modulated data via a channel that couplesthe content display device to the external content processing device,wherein the transceiving module separates the modulated data from thecontent data, wherein the transceiving module retrieves display datafrom the modulated data, and wherein the transceiving module providesthe display data to the data processing module.
 15. The content displaydevice of claim 14, wherein the transceiving module comprises: high passfilter to separate the content data from the modulated data; gain moduleoperably coupled to provide gain to the modulated data to produce gainedmodulated data; and data extraction circuit operably coupled to retrievethe display data from the modulated data.
 16. The content display deviceof claim 15, wherein the data extraction circuit comprises: demodulatoroperably coupled to receive the gain modulated data and to producetherefrom demodulated data; quantizer operably coupled to receive thedemodulated data and to produce therefrom quantized data; and digitalfilter operably coupled to receive the quantized data and producetherefrom the display data.
 17. The content display device of claim 15,wherein the data extraction circuit comprises: clock recovery circuitoperably coupled to generate a clock signal from the modulated data; acorrelator operably coupled to receive the clock signal, wherein thecorrelator detect patterns of the data contained within the modulateddata to produce correlated data; and phase comparator operably coupledto receive the correlated data and to produce therefrom the displaydata.
 18. The content display device of claim 14 further comprises:display operably coupled to the data processing module, wherein the dataprocessing module processes the display data to produce displayinformation, wherein the display displays the display information. 19.The content display device of claim 14 further comprises identifyingcircuitry operably coupled to receive an inquiry via the channel fromthe external content processing device, wherein the identifyingcircuitry processes the inquiry to produce content display capabilities,and wherein the identifying circuitry provides the content displaycapabilities to the transceiving module for transmission via the channelto the external content processing device.
 20. A method for presentingcontent data and processing data, the method comprises the steps of:receiving inputs regarding functionality of an external contentprocessing device; processing the inputs to produce data regarding thefunctionality of an external content processing device; modulating thedata to produce modulated data; receiving the content data via a channelcoupled to the external content processing device; transmitting themodulated data to the external content processing device via thechannel; and processing the content data for presentation.
 21. Themethod of claim 20 further comprises: receiving an analog input signal;digitizing the analog input signal to produce a digitized signal; andproviding the digitized signal as at least part of the data formodulating.
 22. The method of claim 20 further comprises: receivingmodulated display data via the channel; separating the modulated displaydata from the content data; retrieving display data from the modulateddisplay data; and displaying the display data.
 23. The method of claim22, wherein the separating and retrieving further comprise: high passfiltering the channel to separate the content data from the modulateddisplay data; providing gain to the modulated display data to producegained modulated data; and extracting the display data from themodulated display data.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein theextracting further comprises: demodulating the gain modulated data toproduce demodulated data; quantizing the demodulated data to producequantized data; and digital filtering the quantized data to produce thedisplay data.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the extracting furthercomprises: generating a clock signal from the modulated display data;correlating patterns of the display data contained within the modulateddisplay data to produce correlated data; and phase comparing thecorrelated data and to produce therefrom the data.
 26. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the receiving and transmitting further comprise:modulating the data to produce the modulated data; and injecting themodulated data on to the channel with the content data and to producetransceive data that is provided to the external content processingdevice.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the modulating furthercomprises: generating a pseudo random code; and modulating the randomcode and the data to produce the modulated data.
 28. The method of claim26, wherein the injecting further comprises: high pass filtering themodulated data to produce filtered data, wherein the filtered data isprovided on the channel; and high frequency isolating the content datafrom the modulated data by substantially attenuating the filtered dataand passing the content data substantially untenanted.
 29. The method ofclaim 20 further comprises: receiving an inquiry via the channel fromthe external content processing device; processing the inquiry toproduce content display capabilities; and providing the content displaycapabilities to the external content processing device via the channel.30. A method for presenting content data and processing data, the methodcomprises the steps of: receiving modulated display data and contentdata via a channel coupled to an external content processing device;separating the modulated data from the content data; retrieving displaydata from the modulated data; processing the display data for display;and processing the content data for presentation.
 31. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the separating and retrieving further comprises: highpass filtering the channel to separate the content data from themodulated data; providing gain to the modulated data to produce gainedmodulated data; and extracting the display data from the modulated data.32. The method of claim 31, wherein the extracting further comprises:demodulating the gain modulated data to produce demodulated data;quantizing the demodulated data to produce quantized data; and digitalfiltering the quantized data to produce the display data.
 33. The methodof claim 31, wherein the extracting further comprises: generating aclock signal from the modulated data; detecting patterns of the datacontained within the modulated data to produce correlated data; andphase comparing the correlated data to produce the display data.
 34. Themethod of claim 30 further comprises: receiving an inquiry via thechannel from the external content processing device; processing theinquiry to produce content display capabilities; and providing thecontent display capabilities to the external content processing devicevia the channel.